Hi there, My name is Sumaya and thanks to Intermittent Fasting (or IF for short), in 7.5 months I’ve dropped 50 pounds, 10.5% in body fat and 40 inches around my body. These results are entirely as a result of IF as I was unable to exercise for the first several months due to a fractured foot.

After college, I spent at least 5+ years in the overweight category (no thanks to bad habits, traveling and eating out) before spending another 5+ years in the obese category (no thanks to ‪startup stress‬, late nights and even more work travel). I’m now officially in the normal weight category (according to my BMI).

I tried everything from Jenny Craig/Weight Watchers to going to the gym 4–5x a week to weekly meal prep. While I did see some results, I eventually couldn’t keep up with it and then yo-yo’d. IF has been the simplest and most manageable way I have found to improve my health (and stick with it).

This post is intended for my friends (and friends of friends) who have been following my health journey on Facebook and have asked how to get started. Because the interest has been in the thousands (so amazing!), I’ve decided to share this information more publicly.

In the interest of time, I’ve created this super quick start guide. In the near future, I’ll be sharing more details, providing tips and answering the most commonly asked questions I get.

The parts I’ve highlighted in italics below are areas I plan to elaborate on in future posts. Again, this is meant to be a quick start guide.

My Quick Start Guide to Intermittent Fasting
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Fasting has been around for thousands of years and commonly practiced in major religions and utilized by medical practitioners.
There are many studies documenting the benefits of fasting which include lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes, reducing cholesterol levels, enhancing the body’s resistance to oxidative stress (which is connected to aging and many chronic diseases), reducing inflammation (a key driver in many common diseases) and… weight loss! The weight loss benefit is how I first got introduced to Intermittent Fasting (or IF for short).
Like most other approaches to weight loss, the overall goal is to reduce calories without malnutrition. However, compared to the other approaches, Intermittent Fasting is focused on *when* to eat and when not to.
There are many different kinds of IF but for this quick start guide, I will be sharing the style I’ve adopted and has worked for me.

Before you start Intermittent Fasting
I know many of you are itching to get started right away, but IF is not for everyone. It is not recommended for pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding, people with diabetes, or other people who need to closely regulate their blood sugar. In addition, there has not been research on participants who are underweight, very old, or very young (<18 yrs. old) and these populations could be at higher risk for experiencing negative consequences of fasting (Longo and Mattson , 2014). So please:

* Visit your doctor and share your interest in IF. Make sure it’s right for you.
* Research more about IF and learn outside of what I share to see if there is a different style of IF that is a better fit for you and your needs. While there is widely available research on the benefits of IF, you should also learn more about the potential of negative effects of fasting on sleep, alertness, cognitive-motor performance, mood and for those with a previous history or susceptibility with eating disorders.
* If you want to understand how full day fasts work (and the science behind it), check out the BBC documentary “Eat, Fast & Live Longer.” It focuses on a style called Alternate Day Fasting. This documentary helped me in deciding to try IF as a lifestyle.

* A scale. I use the Weight Gurus Digital Scale with smartphone tracking. This particular scale measures weight, body fat, muscle mass and more.
* Weight loss tracking app. I love the Happy Scale mobile iOS app (it’s free). It shows how your weight loss is trending, allows you to break your goals down into smaller milestone goals and can predict based on your current weight loss rate when you will hit your goals and more.

The above two are the most helpful and what my friends and I use daily. The below are additional things I’ve done to measure success (but not something you have to do or slow you down from starting IF). I love data, so I choose to do the following as well:

* Visual Progress. Take before photos! You may feel uncomfortable especially when you’re first getting started, but you’ll be thankful for them later.
* Measurements. I also decided to take measurements using a flexible measuring tape when I first started and every four weeks or so. Sometimes the scale doesn’t accurately show all of your progress and photos, and measurements tell a better story.
* MyFitnessPal. I use this app to track my calories on Eat Days (but I don’t use it religiously). I only do this to get a sense of how much I’m eating and make sure I’m eating more than enough on Eat days.
* Detailed spreadsheet. In a spreadsheet I created for myself, I track all of the above and have used it to identify daily/weekly trends and help me figure out how to further experiment with IF. This has been a highly requested spreadsheet, and I hope to share the template in the very near future!

My Style of Intermittent Fasting: The 4:3

I’ve adopted what’s called a 4:3 style of IF. This simply means, I eat 4 days during the week and fast 3 non-consecutive days of the week.

This is what my 4:3 weekly schedule looks like

SUNDAY: Eat Day // I eat as I normally would throughout the day and I begin my fast at 9 pm PT (this means I stop eating or drinking anything with calories).

MONDAY: Fast Day // On fast days I only drink coffee, tea, non-caloric drinks and water (sparkling water like La Croix, or Hint Water has been awesome during fasting). I add a little half & half in my coffee, and those are the only calories I consume on fast days. If/when I feel hunger pains on fast days, I drink a bottle/can of sparkling water and that helps me get through the day.

TUESDAY: Eat Day // I break my fast at 9 am PT. I eat my full day of meals. The total calories I eat is my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) range. I use this tool to calculate my TDEE: https://tdeecalculator.net/index.php I start my fast again at 9 pm PT.

WEDNESDAY: Fast Day // Same as Monday.

THURSDAY: Eat Day // Same as Tuesday.

FRIDAY: Fast Day // Same as Monday & Wednesday

SATURDAY: Eat Day // Same as Tuesday & Thursday

SUNDAY: Eat Day // Same as Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday.

In summary: MWF = Fast Days, TuThSaSu = Eat Days. Repeat every week and you will see and feel the difference.

I start my fast at 9 PM and end the day after next at 9 AM, but these time frames can also be changed. Some of my friends prefer 7 PM/7 AM, 8 AM/8 PM, etc. to better accommodate their work/family schedule.

I have found that the 4:3 style fasts have worked well for my friends and me based on our work/life schedule and our personal health goals. I like that full day fasts feel like an on/off switch — I don’t think about eating on fast days and on eat days if I happen to overeat, I don’t feel guilty about it (since I’m eating at a deficit during the week). I find it more manageable to cut calories over a week (using the 4:3 style of IF) instead of every day (trying to eating less daily).

Tips for the few weeks:

The first couple weeks can feel challenging since your body is trying to adjust but once you get through it, fasting will feel more like a habit. Here are a few tips that helped me:

On Fast Days:

Having water on hand (especially sparkling water) helps a lot

Let people you see often (friends, family, colleagues) know you’re experimenting with IF. You’ll be surprised how many people will work around your schedule, be supportive and take interest in IF.

If you need help getting through a Fast day, you can have up to 500 calories to eat without it technically considered breaking your fast. The 500 calories can be used as a crutch to get through the first few fast days. After week 2, you shouldn’t need it.

If for some reason you do break need to break your fast (and eat more than 500+ calories), count that day as an Eat day and eat your full day’s worth of calories (your TDEE). Don’t try to fast the following day and just stick with your weekly schedule.

On Eat days:

I have found that eating high protein especially during my lunch and dinner meals keeps me better satiated on my fast days

It’s super important to EAT your full day’s worth of calories since you are already eating at a deficit on your fast days. Do not skip meals or try to eat less.

That wraps up my quick start guide. I hope this helps you in the right direction.

I don’t work in the health industry and am not affiliated with any promotional products. I’m the CEO & Founder of Sumazi, a marketing technology startup that supports brands and nonprofits. Intermittent Fasting has changed my life. If it can help just one more person with their struggles and goals, I’m happy to spend the time to support you (and hopefully one day you’ll pay it forward too)!

By Sumaya Kazi